U.S. patent number 8,462,645 [Application Number 12/391,221] was granted by the patent office on 2013-06-11 for interactive advertising system, business methods and software.
The grantee listed for this patent is Joseph Harb. Invention is credited to Joseph Harb.
United States Patent |
8,462,645 |
Harb |
June 11, 2013 |
Interactive advertising system, business methods and software
Abstract
Enhanced features and functionality of a radio station website,
and offline advertising operations are disclosed to improve
listener interactions, provide improved services to users, and
enable more effective radio or television-based advertising.
Inventors: |
Harb; Joseph (Woodinville,
WA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Harb; Joseph |
Woodinville |
WA |
US |
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Family
ID: |
48538425 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/391,221 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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12168832 |
Jul 7, 2008 |
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12049231 |
Mar 14, 2008 |
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11935364 |
Nov 5, 2007 |
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11850627 |
Sep 5, 2007 |
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60865585 |
Nov 13, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
370/252;
705/14.4; 705/14.54; 370/338; 370/328; 725/42; 725/135 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04H
60/82 (20130101); H04H 60/85 (20130101); H04H
60/64 (20130101); H04H 60/43 (20130101); H04H
60/63 (20130101); G06Q 30/0241 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04L
12/26 (20060101); H04W 4/00 (20090101); H04N
5/445 (20110101) |
Field of
Search: |
;370/252,310,310.2,328,338 ;725/42,86,105,135
;705/14.1,14.49,14.54,14.55 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
International Searching Authority, International Search Report and
The Written Opinion of the Searching Authority, for PCT US/08/82509
filed Nov. 5, 2008, Mail Date Jan. 8, 2009, 11 pages. cited by
applicant .
Vranica, Suzanne "NBC's Olympic Test: Counting All the Games'
Viewers," Wall Street Journal, Jul. 7, 2008. cited by applicant
.
Beaumont, Claudine, "Google G1 Phone Will Teach Users How to Play
the Guitar and Make the Perfect Martini," Telegraph.co.uk, Date
Oct. 24, 2008. cited by applicant .
Olsen, Stefanie, "Will consumers warm up to CATs?," CNET News.
http://news.cnet.com/Will-consumers-warm-up-to-CATs/2100-1017.sub.--3-244-
055.html. cited by applicant .
Stolowitz Ford Cowger LLP List of Related Matters dated Dec. 23,
2011. cited by applicant .
PR Newswire: "Alchemdeia and Digimarc Form Strategic Partnership to
Manage Online Content," Oct. 23, 2000, Proquest #62834302, 4 pages.
cited by applicant .
Digimarc Corporation Website: Internet Archive Wayback Machine,
www.archive.org, May 2001, 3 pages. cited by applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Wong; Warner
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Stolowitz Ford Cowger LLP
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/168,832 filed Jul. 7, 2008, entitled
INTERACTIVE RADIO ADVERTISING AND SOCIAL NETWORKING, which is a
continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/049,231 filed Mar. 14, 2008, which is a continuation-in-part of
pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/935,364 filed Nov. 5,
2007 which is a continuation in part of pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/850,627 filed Sep. 5, 2007, which claims
priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/865,585. All
prior applications are incorporated herein by this reference in
their entirety.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A system comprising: means for receiving a selection of an
actuator on a portable wireless device and storing an actuator
identifier associated with the actuator; means for identifying an
advertisement responsive to the selection where the advertisement
is displayed on an electronic display screen, printed on a
substrate, or broadcast via a radio or television station; the
portable, wireless device including means for transmitting
identifying information corresponding to the identified
advertisement to a remote server, wherein the identifying
information includes the actuator identifier and indicates an
interaction request type associated with the actuator identifier;
and means for receiving interactive services, responsive to the
interaction request type wherein the interactive services are
directed to the identified advertisement; and wherein the
interactive services comprise at least one of: wireless device
supplemental content associated with the identified advertisement
or initiating an interactive telephone voice call including an
offer to request more information about the advertisement in the
form of paper mail, advertiser information text sent via text
message, or advertiser information sent via email or telephone
connection to a live operator.
2. An add-on available to a website comprising: a listing of
broadcast advertisements, the listing including a time of the
broadcast of each advertisement, and a name of a subject or sponsor
of each advertisement, wherein each listed advertisement is mapped
to a plurality of interactive services request options including at
least a request for supplemental content comprising one or more of:
a request to play the advertisement, a request to play a video, a
request to play audio, a request for additional information, a
request for a transcript, a purchase request, or a vote request;
input means for receiving a user request for supplemental
information from a portable capture device identifying one or more
of the listed advertisements wherein the user request includes
identifying information comprising an actuator identifier and
indicates an interaction request type associated with the actuator
identifier: output means for delivery of the requested supplemental
content; and wherein the add-on is programmed into machine-readable
instructions, routines, and data, all stored in a non-transitory
machine-readable memory usable by a web site server computer so as
to transform the server computer into a specific machine.
3. The add-on according to claim 1 and wherein the delivery of the
requested supplemental content is configured to be by one or more
of mail, email, wireless communication or telephone.
4. The add-on of claim 1 wherein the delivery of the requested
supplemental content is configured to be in the form of a web link
to the content.
5. The add-on of claim 1 wherein the requested supplemental content
is displayed on the web site.
6. The add-on of claim 1 wherein the add-on enables a user to share
the selected advertisement via social networks as an observed
activity message.
7. The add-on of claim 5 wherein the observed activity message is
transmitted using a selected social multicast transmission system
or an RSS feed, and the observed activity message includes a web
link to the selected advertisement.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This disclosure relates to user interactions with radio
broadcasting and, more specifically, to enabling a radio listener
obtain more information, make purchases, share with friends, or
otherwise take actions in response to a song, advertisement,
solicitation or other material that the user recently heard on the
radio.
BACKGROUND
Since its inception, the radio has evolved in terms of technology
and quality of sound, but not in terms of becoming interactive.
People frequently are exposed to music, a program or an
advertisement playing over broadcast radio or the like, while at
home, on the beach, in the car, etc; or they might like to donate
to a radio station or a charitable cause or even cast a vote on a
song or a poll being conducted "on the air." These actions may be
inconvenient or impossible, depending on the user's current
location and activity, for example driving a car. Some states and
localities have imposed limitations on the use of cell phones, for
example, while a user is driving.
Sometimes, a radio listener (hereinafter called the "customer" or
"user") hears advertisements played over broadcast radio or the
like at various locations where it may be inconvenient to make a
note of the product or service being advertised. If the customer
does not have an immediate access to the information, or cannot
store that information, there will be a protracted delay between
the time when they are initially exposed to the advertising and
develop interest in the product or service, and the time where they
actually have the opportunity to act on that interest. When they do
finally have the opportunity to purchase the product, their impulse
to purchase may have diminished or they may not even remember the
name of the advertiser, product or service that they wish to
purchase. The immediacy of the information and their interest has
waned, and therefore the sale is lost.
Sometimes a listener would like to donate to a charitable cause or
a radio station during a "pledge drive," but she is driving or may
be in an inconvenient location at the time the solicitation is
heard. She therefore may be unable to call in or access a
corresponding online site and respond to the solicitation as she
would have liked. At a later stage, however, her impulse to donate
may have diminished or she may not even remember the telephone
number to call to donate or make a pledge. The immediacy of the
information and the listener's interest has waned, and consequently
the donation is lost.
Similarly, the user frequently likes the song or the program he is
hearing and would like to purchase that track or the album or a
copy of the transcript but he is where is may be inconvenient to
make a note or cannot later remember the name of that song or
program. Thus there will be a protracted delay between the time
when they are initially exposed to the song or program and develop
interest in the product, and the time where they actually have the
opportunity to act on that interest. When they do finally have the
opportunity to purchase the product, their impulse to purchase may
have diminished or they may not even remember the name of the item
they wish to purchase. The immediacy of the information and their
interest has waned, and again a potential sale is lost.
Similar challenges exist in connection with television; here there
are at least two distinct scenarios. First, the matter of
traditional television advertising, and second, a scenario where a
customer sees a particular product or service within the television
programming itself, as distinguished from a televised
advertisement, and wants to buy that item. To illustrate the latter
scenario, for example, suppose a customer is watching a movie,
where a new cell phone is featured, and it looks great, but the
customer may not even be able to see what brand of phone it is. As
another example, the customer is watching a TV program, such as a
cooking show, and the customer wants to get the recipe, the frying
pan, the book, the glassware being used on the show. Currently,
there is no convenient way for the viewer to not only identify, but
immediately purchase the item of interest. A bevy of TV "shopping
channels" invite viewers to call a live operator (who is "standing
by") by telephone, and conduct a voice conversation to place an
order, which includes reciting credit card information, shipping
address, etc. The process is unduly burdensome and slow, and of
course purchases are limited to what is offered for sale explicitly
on that show at that time.
What is needed is a way for a listener to interact with broadcast
radio to obtain information, share information, and take other
actions in response to items heard on the radio, in a timely and
convenient manner. In one embodiment, such interactions may occur
using a cell phone text messaging and interactive voice features.
Improvements to radio station web sites also are disclosed to
improve listener experience, loyalty and advertising
effectiveness.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for a user,
such as a radio station listener, to obtain information about an
item heard on the radio, for example an advertisement, in near-real
time, using various types of communications and channels. A user
may use a computer, but it is not essential. Some services can be
delivered by telephone, mobile phone, PDA, Blackberry or other
devices. Services that provide supplemental information can be
implemented by phone or via the Internet. Services may be provided
via a radio station website. In some embodiments, phone and web
interfaces obviate a special capture device.
In one embodiment, the captured data is uploaded to a remote
server, which determines and presents the programming information
to the user in an interactive interface, for example a web site.
Interacting with the web site, the user can make final decisions or
confirmations of her actions, and they are executed immediately.
This removes the burden of the user having to search, shop or surf
the internet to find the items that she heard about on the
radio.
In another embodiment, a server application is provided that can be
accessed by wireless telecommunications, e.g., via a cell phone.
Radio listeners can dial a pre-determined access phone number. An
interactive voice interface is implemented at the server. At the
prompt, the user (caller) would say or key in the radio station
frequency or call letters of the station that the user is currently
monitoring. Subsequently, the can say or key in any of the commands
available, similar to the ones described herein with regard to an
embedded mobile application. The user also may be guided by an
audio menu, such as, "press or say 1 to quu a song; press or say 2
to quu an ad [advertisement]," etc. (The coined word "quu" is a
trademark of the inventor or the assignee. It can be read as
"queue" or "capture" as used herein, as further explained below.)
The voice application will send the corresponding commands to
purchasing services servers, further described later. In this way,
the user can interact with the server in much the same manner as
she would using an embedded phone application as described herein,
but the interactive voice system obviates the requirement of an
embedded application in the cell phone or equivalent communication
device.
Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the
following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which
proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified system overview of one example of a real
time remote purchase list capturing system utilizing a portable
standalone capture device.
FIG. 2 is a simplified system overview of a second example of a
real time remote purchase list capture system utilizing a cellular
phone application.
FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D show one embodiment of a portable
standalone capture unit in front, left, right and rear side views,
respectively.
FIG. 4 is a simplified functional block diagram of one embodiment
of a portable capture unit.
FIG. 5 is a front plan view of a cell phone, personal digital
assistant (PDA), or the like showing one example of a screen
display layout (user interface) implemented by a capture
application program.
FIG. 6 is an example of an interactive display screen layout
generated by a server for a client user to select items previously
identified by the user's capture device or cell phone application
consistent with the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is an example of an interactive display screen layout
generated by a server for a client user to purchase selected
items.
FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram illustrating individual user
delivery of multi-media content associated with a radio broadcast
item in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the principal
elements in an improved interactive broadcast radio system.
FIG. 10 is a base call flow diagram illustrating one example of an
interactive telephone session with a radio listener to deliver
information of interest from a radio advertiser.
FIG. 11 is a call flow diagram illustrating a call back flow
continued from the diagram of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a call flow diagram including video delivery continued
from the diagram of FIG. 10.
FIG. 13 is a call flow diagram continued from the diagram of FIG.
10 including playing a prerecorded info call message.
FIG. 14A shows an example of a screen display including a list of
advertisements that played on an associated radio station, and
options to tag an advertisement (+Quu) and or request supplemental
content about a selected advertisement. In FIG. 14A, notice the
display tabs for advertisements (Ads), Music, PlayList and "My Quu"
discussed elsewhere.
FIGS. 14B, 14C, and 14D show examples of a screen display for a
radio station web site.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A. System Overview
When a customer hears an advertisement, a radio program or a music
track on a radio, or would like to donate for a charitable, civic
or educational cause or a radio station, utilizing one aspect of
the present disclosure, they simply press the pertinent button on
their portable capture device (the "PCD") or, in accordance with
another aspect of the present disclosure, they can invoke a "quick
purchase" application on their cell phone and press the pertinent
button. The term "cell phone" or simply "phone" is used herein
broadly to include, without limitation, all portable wireless
communication devices, such as cell phones, iPhone, Blackberry,
etc. that can transfer voice and or data over a wireless
network.
In one embodiment, there are a minimum of three buttons on a
portable capture device; one for music, one for ads, and one for
transcripts and donations as described in detail later in this
document. These features are described by way of illustration and
not limitation. The term "button" is used herein broadly to include
without limitation conventional push-button or electromechanical
switches, electrostatic devices, "soft keys" on a display, etc. A
"button" may be implemented as a response to voice activation as
well. Any of these can be used to activate the capture device,
i.e., trigger it to capture current data as further described
shortly. The portable capture device, in one embodiment, identifies
the radio station being listened to at the time the device is
activated, and stores that information in memory.
Later, when the PCD is plugged into an I/O port of a computer, for
example a USB port, it transmits station identifying information
along with the metadata to a remote Purchasing Services Server,
along with a unique key identifying the customer (or the customer's
capture device). Several alternative embodiments for communication
with the remote server are described later. The Purchasing Services
Server (also referred to by applicant's trademark "Emo-V Services")
authenticates the transmission and displays the items the user had
"captured" earlier in different categories, for example: music,
products, donations and transcripts. The server determines the
corresponding items by accessing or searching station logs provided
by the broadcasters or by third parties. The user can browse the
selection (on their web browser or the like) for more details such
as listening to the song or looking at the advertised product
picture and description, decide whether they want to purchase or
receive additional information, or determine the amount they would
like to donate, and finalize their selection by un-checking or
deleting products they would prefer not to purchase.
In one embodiment, the broadcast advertiser can upload images or
video to their Quu-enabled ads. This way when the users access
their account via computer and click on the ad, they can view, in
addition to the description, pictures or a short video, thereby
transforming an audible ad into a visual one or multi-media ad.
This presents an excellent cost savings to the advertiser over say
television advertising.
In another embodiment, the video or the pictures can be streamed
back to the user's cell phone so that they can immediately see the
product, service or campaign (donation) being advertised. See the
description of cell phone applications below. Again, the advertiser
or promoter can leverage the effectiveness of a multi-media
campaign in the context of a radio broadcast.
The selected products are then categorized by vendor depending on
the user's preferences captured during the registration, such as
Amazon as a preferred online retailer or iTunes as an online music
store. If the advertised product is "PCD-enabled" the user can
choose to request additional information from the vendor or
purchase the product. The request for information or the purchase
order are made automatically by the server without further action
required by the user. (Other methods for requesting information are
described below.) The user can then proceed to the final step, for
example by clicking on the checkout button related to each vendor,
or some other equivalent user interface.
The selected products may be displayed in the vendor's virtual
"shopping cart." If the user does not have a preferred vendor, the
server software ("Emo-V Services.TM.") could propose that purchases
be made from the lowest priced participating vendor. If the product
is a consumable good, the vendor ships the product to the
customer's address as in a traditional online purchase. If the
product is digital media such as an e-book or music, the vendor
sends the customer an e-mail with information on how to download
the media or open the relevant application such as the iTunes
download. Emo-V Services preferably also sends the customer an
e-mail indicating the status of their order.
B. Capture Device
A portable capture device is provided to capture the broadcast
frequency or channel of the radio or satellite radio the consumer
is listening to, and the time of activation. This information is
used to identify the song/programming/advertisement that the
customer is receiving when the capture device is actuated. In a
presently preferred embodiment, the capture device has a few input
buttons, to make operation very fast and simple. For example, it
may have one button designated to "GET Ad" Or "PRODUCT." The user
presses that button, or otherwise activates the device, in order to
capture and store the information about a product being currently
advertised (or last played) on the radio, as further explained
below.
To identify the radio station (broadcaster) currently playing, the
capture device finds the frequency of the current broadcast as
follows. It has an on-board, low-power radio transmitter. That
transmitter broadcasts only up to a few meters. The audio portion
or "content" being transmitter is a simple audio tone, or a series
of say three or four tones, that forms an audio "signature." That
signature preferably is very short, perhaps 500 msec total
duration. The on-board FM transmitter sweeps over the usual range
of FM broadcast carrier frequencies, e.g., approximately from 87.5
to 107.7 MHz. A sweep over that range should be completed in a few
seconds, although the sweep speed is not critical. The point is to
take only a short time to acquire or "detect" the frequency to
which the radio is currently tuned to.
When the sweep frequency equals the current radio setting, the
radio will receive the nearby low-power FM broadcast, and thus
receive the audio signature carried in that broadcast. The audio
signature will "play" through the speaker(s) along with the other
programming. The capture device also includes a microphone to
detect the "audio signature" when it is played. Detection of that
signature indicates that the current FM broadcast frequency of the
sweeping transmitter is the receive frequency to which the nearby
radio currently is set. Again, the audio signature preferably is
short enough to be unobtrusive to the user/listener.
In an alternative embodiment, the radio station detection
technology described above can be implemented in a mobile phone or
other electronic device such as an MP3 player, etc. In case of a
cell phone, when the user activates this feature (using any command
the cell phone allows such as a hotkey or a speed dial or any other
way), the phone would detect the radio frequency instead of the
user having to determine the station. The user might have the
possibility to manually select the station and override the
automated system. The cell phone contains most of the components in
the capture device. By adding to the cell phone an FM emitter and
possibly a receiver, or a transceiver, the software running on the
device's microprocessor could run on the cell phone's processor and
execute the same functions as the portable capture device in order
to determine the signal the radio is currently tuned to
receive.
FIG. 1 is a simplified overview of one example of a real-time
remote purchase list capturing system utilizing a mobile
stand-alone capture unit. In this drawing, a receiver 100 is
typically a radio receiver, and may be a portable unit or one
installed in a motor vehicle. It may be, for example, a satellite
digital radio, a terrestrial digital radio, or a conventional
analog radio. For the present illustration, we will assume that it
is an FM radio or one that includes capability to receive on FM
frequencies. A portable capture device 102, described in greater
detail later, comprises a small, battery-operated device that may
be carried by a user. Conveniently, it may be implemented as a key
fob. We assume that the portable capture device 102, for the
present discussion, is located within a few feet of the receiver
100. So, for example, the user of the portable capture device may
be the driver or a passenger in the motor vehicle where receiver
100 is installed. When content of particular interest is playing on
the radio, for example a music track (a song), the user can
activate the portable capture device 102 to capture information
that can be used to purchase the song then playing.
For example, in one embodiment, the capture device 102 will
determine the current frequency setting of the receiver 100, as
well as the RDBS (Radio Broadcast Data System) data broadcasted at
that frequency. The portable capture device 102 stores this
information in an internal memory. The information fields provided
by the RDBS may include, for example, clock time, a unique station
identifier (with country code prefix), program type, "radio text"
(free form text message), etc. In some cases, the radio text may
identify a current music track while it is played. Which fields are
decoded will vary from one receiver to another. In some cases, a
music track (song) identifier is provided in the RDBS data.
Later, after the user has returned to her home or office, or
otherwise has access to a computer, the user can access remote
purchasing services, as explained later, for example, a services
server coupled to a communications network. Such a server may be
accessed via wired and or wireless networks as further explained
later. In one presently preferred embodiment, the user accesses the
services server via the Internet. The capture device has a memory,
for example flash memory, on which is stored a device application
program that automatically manages the device operations in
conjunction with an on-device processor (illustrated in FIG. 4 as
onboard processor 445). For example, the device application program
can be arranged to launch automatically when the capture device is
plugged into a USB port on the user's home, office or other
computer, and it downloads the stored information from the portable
capture device memory into the computer (illustrated in FIG. 1 as
computer 110). In one embodiment, the program then auto-deletes the
data from the device without having to wait for any signal from the
remote Services Server.
In one embodiment, the portable capture device may have a USB port,
or other standard port, wired, wireless, infrared, etc., which can
communicate with a corresponding port on the computer 110 (or with
the server as explained later in this document) for the purpose of
downloading the stored capture data. Of course, the user may have
activated the capture device, as described above, multiple times
and each time it is activated, the corresponding capture data is
stored in the memory, and all of that data can be downloaded to the
computer 110 whenever convenient, automatically or manually.
As noted, the computer 110 has access to the Internet 112. A remote
Services Server 120 provides various services to the user, and to
others, as further explained below. In the present example, we
assume that the user has "captured" data associated with one or
more advertisements and music tracks, as described above. After the
capture data is downloaded to the computer 110, it communicates
with the purchasing Services Server 120 in order to facilitate
purchasing the music tracks or the products of interest to the
user.
As mentioned, in other embodiments, the portable capture device can
be coupled to a portable communication device, such as a cellular
phone, an iPhone or Blackberry device which is capable of
communicating with a remote network and a server coupled to the
network. In that case, no separate computer is required. In still
further embodiments (not shown), the disclosed capture
functionality may be provided in a software application deployed in
a cell phone, "smart phone" or the like, iPhone, Blackberry, etc.
Depending on the particular device, supplemental hardware may be
needed. In other cases, "software radios," audio circuitry and such
on board a multi-function portable device may provide adequate
functionality, subject to appropriate programming in view of the
present disclosure. When the user accesses the Services web page on
their computer (the same page that opens when the user inserts the
mobile capture device in the USB port or when they use their cell
phone application) they see the information related to all the
items they had "clicked on" and can proceed to purchase or request
additional information as if they had used the mobile capture
device.
Turning now to FIG. 6, this shows an example of a screen display
layout that is generated by the purchasing services server 120 for
a particular user (we assume that the user has logged into the
server with appropriate credentials such as a user name and
password). Referring to FIG. 6, a first portion of the screen
display 600 includes a listing of the music tracks, advertised
products, donations and transcripts identified by the capture data
that was initially stored in the portable capture device 102 and
then downloaded to the computer 110. The computer 110 includes
appropriate application software for communicating with the
purchasing services server as shown on FIG. 1. In the screen
display of FIG. 6, the first line in section 600 shows data for a
song entitled, "I Still Haven't Found . . . " This shows that the
song is available for purchase (as distinguished from the album
which is grayed out), and it shows the radio station, state, city,
date, and time when the song was played. That data corresponds to
the data that was captured by our illustrative user, using a
portable capture device, who was in the car traveling when the song
was played. Using this user interface, or something similar, the
user can review the songs associated with the data that was
captured, and make decisions as to what items to purchase or not
purchase. After the user has completed the review, and is ready to
purchase selected items, she may interact with a screen display
along the lines illustrated in FIG. 7.
In FIG. 7, a first region 700 shows various downloads that were
previously selected by the user from among those identified based
on the capture data. In this example, a first line 702 of the
region 700 shows an album called "The Joshua Tree" by the artist U2
available in iTunes format. The next line 704 shows a song called
"Crash" by the Dave Matthews Band also in iTunes format. The third
line 706 shows a transcript of a radio program called "Living in a
War Zone" which is available from radio station 94.9 KUOW also in
iTunes format. In one embodiment, after the user makes her
selections, referring to FIG. 6, the user may designate certain
preferred vendors, in connection with the user setup procedures,
described later. Once a user's selections are finalized, the user
can simply press the button marked for example 710 "Proceed to
Download" to complete the purchase. When the button 710 is
asserted, the server 120 will forward the completed order directly
to iTunes, or whatever the selected vendor may be, and the purchase
is completed. In this way, the user avoids actually "browsing" or
"shopping" on the target vendor site. The selection of the desired
items has already been done by the server software, again based on
the capture data discussed earlier. The purchasing of other items
such as products and contributions to charitable entities shown in
FIG. 7 are also described in more detail later.
Referring once again to FIG. 1, a music seller 124, such as the
iTunes web site, is shown as coupled to the Internet 112 to carry
out the purchasing methodology just described with reference to
FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIG. 2 is another simplified high-level diagram of a second example
of a real-time remote purchase list capturing system. This diagram
is similar to that of FIG. 1, except that, in this case, instead of
a stand-alone capture device 102 (in FIG. 1), an application for
data capture 204 is installed on a cell phone 206. The cell phone
206 is capable of communicating with a wireless telecom carrier
210. In this implementation, cell phone 206 in combination with
embedded software 204 can be used to capture interest data, as
described above with regard to the portable capture device 102, and
then transmit that capture data via the wireless telecom system,
through SMS or other methodologies such as MMS or web-services, to
the purchasing services server 120. In the case of the cell phone
application, other functions can be implemented as the usage is not
limited to the number of buttons on the device. For example buttons
that allow the user to vote yes or no on a question being asked can
be implemented by a simple change of configuration. Voting
capability from the cell phone is reflected in near real time in
reports available to the radio stations or the pertinent party.
Then, as before, once the user arrives at a location where she has
access to a computer 250 in FIG. 2, she can proceed to interact
with the purchasing services server 120, using interactive screen
displays of the type illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 to make her
selections and complete desired purchase list. The described cell
phone application preferably can be downloaded via the wireless
network and installed in the cell phone.
In another embodiment, an ordinary cell phone or the like, with or
without a dedicated application installed as described above, can
be employed for capture functions using the voice channel. To
enable this embodiment, a server application is provided that can
be accessed by wireless telecommunications. In one example, the
Purchasing Services Server described above can execute or be couple
to a suitable application. Radio listeners can dial a
pre-determined access phone number. An interactive voice interface
is implemented at the server. At the prompt, the user (caller)
would say or key in the radio station frequency or call letters of
the station that the user is currently monitoring. Subsequently,
the can say or key in any of the commands available, similar to the
ones described herein with regard to an embedded mobile
application. The user also may be guided by an audio menu, such as,
"press or say 1 to quu a song; press or say 2 to quu an ad
[advertisement]," etc. The voice application will send the
corresponding commands to purchasing services servers, further
described later. In this way, the user can interact with the server
in much the same manner as she would using the embedded phone
application described above, but the interactive voice system
obviates the requirement of an embedded application in the cell
phone or equivalent communication device.
Operation of the Capture Device
Turning now to FIGS. 3A-3D, one embodiment of a mobile stand-alone
capture unit 300 is illustrated in front. FIG. 3A shows the front
side of one embodiment of a portable stand-alone capture unit.
FIGS. 3B, 3C, and 3D show the capture unit in rear, left-side, and
right-side views, respectively. Referring to FIG. 3A, in a
preferred embodiment, the portable capture unit measures only a few
inches in length, and can be used as a key fob so that it will be
available to the user as needed, especially when the user is
traveling in a motor vehicle, aircraft or other conveyance. The
capture unit 300 preferably is battery-powered, and requires no
external power source. In one embodiment, the capture unit 300 has
three operating buttons, labeled something like "Songs" 302,
"Products" 304, and "Other" 306 in the drawing, although the exact
labels are not critical. Symbols or icons may be used in addition
or in lieu of text. In operation, when the user hears the song
playing that she wishes to purchase, she simply pushes the button
302 to activate the capture unit. In response to that activation,
the capture unit 300 detects the current frequency setting (or
station) of a nearby radio receiver, such as the radio in a motor
vehicle in which the user is riding. Examples of specific circuits
and methodologies for determining the current frequency setting are
discussed below.
In addition, the capture unit 300 includes a digital memory (not
shown) for storing the captured activation time and the determined
current frequency setting of the nearby radio. In addition, the
capture unit 300 preferably includes an RF receiver for capturing
and decoding RDBS data. This stored information will be used
subsequently to determine the name of the song that was playing
when the capture unit 300 was activated. In this way, the present
system enables a customer to purchase products (or arrange for the
purchase of products) with a single-button click from virtually
anywhere at any time, and in particular immediately upon hearing an
advertisement for a product on the radio, or hearing content of
particular interest. That content may be a song (music track) or
other types of programming such as, for example, a news summary or
editorial commentary. For these types of content, the user may want
to purchase a transcript (in printed, electronic, or other
form).
Referring again to FIG. 3A, in the situation where the user wishes
to purchase a product that was featured in a radio advertisement,
the user once again need only press a single button, namely the
"Products" button 304 in FIG. 3A. Similarly, if the user hears a
news summary, panel discussion, or other primarily verbal
presentation, the user can initiate purchase of a transcript simply
by pressing the "Other" button 306. Similarly, if the user wishes
to donate to a radio station, a program, or other cause, the user
can initiate the donation simply by pressing the "Other" button
306. In all four examples, the capture unit 300 will operate in a
similar fashion to determine the current frequency setting or
station to which the radio is tuned and the ID of the button that
is pressed. As before, this information is stored in a local
digital memory.
FIG. 3C illustrates the opposite side of one embodiment of a
capture unit. This figure shows a power switch 320 and an
attachment for a key ring or the like 322. FIG. 3D shows the back
side of one embodiment of a capture unit 300. In this embodiment, a
connector, for example a USB connector 330 is shown for the purpose
of downloading the stored capture data to a computer or similar
device. In the illustrated embodiment, the USB connector 330 is
arranged to slide in and out of the capture unit by operation of a
thumb actuator 332. In other embodiments, the capture unit may be
configured with a wireless communication capability, for example
Bluetooth, in which case a physical connection such as a USB port
is not required to download the stored capture data. Other
embodiments of a portable capture unit may include wireless
communications systems that allow the device to communicate in
real-time with the server, without requiring further communication
with the personal computer. In this case the user logs in the
"Myquu.com" or similar page and accesses the data that was stored.
Other embodiments of a portable capture unit may provide different
appearance or interfaces; the illustrated embodiment is merely
illustrative.
FIG. 3A also illustrates tuner controls 340 and presets control
342. These controls are optional and are not required in some
embodiments. These controls, where implemented, would enable the
user to manually set the capture unit to a particular radio station
in the event that the internal frequency detection circuit
(described below) is unable to determine the current frequency
setting of a nearby radio. The acquired frequency setting, whether
it is acquired automatically or manually, may be shown in a display
350, although the display is optional. In other embodiments, an
audible beep may be implemented to inform the user that the capture
device has determined the current frequency setting of the nearby
radio.
FIG. 4 is a simplified functional block diagram of one embodiment
of a portable capture unit. The capture unit 400 shown in the block
diagram of FIG. 4 may be the same, or may be a different
embodiment, from the embodiments discussed above with reference to
FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, a capture unit 400 may be implemented in various
ways. For example, it may take the form of a portable capture unit
as discussed above with reference to FIG. 3. In an alternative
embodiment, the capture unit 400 may be integrated into a radio
receiver or the like. Referring to FIG. 4, the capture device
includes an RF detector circuit 402, which detects the current
frequency setting of a nearby radio. The frequency or station
information is stored in a digital data store 406.
The radio receiver frequency (station) setting can be determined in
any of several ways. First, as mentioned above, if the RF detector
402 does not succeed in getting a "fix" on the radio station, that
information could be input manually to the capture device 400, as
indicated by the manual tuning input 410. In the embodiment of FIG.
3A, these manual tuning inputs would correspond to the inputs 340.
The circuit 400 can also include a manual favorites inputs 412,
which in the embodiment 300 of FIG. 3 may correspond to the
"presets" inputs 342. In any case, the FM receiver 404 can in one
embodiment display the current frequency setting on a display such
as the liquid crystal display 416.
The capture circuit 400 also includes a few buttons 430 such as the
one labeled "Song" in the drawing, indicating that the user presses
button 430 to provide an activation input to the capture device
which, in turn, activates the RF detector 402 to capture the
current frequency setting as discussed above. Other buttons labeled
in the drawing "Product" and "Other" allow the system to identify
the user's intentions. The capture circuit 400 of FIG. 4 may also
include a clock integrated to the onboard processor 432 to capture
the time when the song click 430 or other activation input is
received. In some embodiments, the song click button 430
corresponds to the songs button 302 of FIG. 3A. In some
embodiments, the clock circuit 432 can be omitted. For example, in
the context of digital radio, where the radio signals from the
broadcaster include embedded metadata that itself includes a time
stamp, use of the clock circuit can be omitted Digital radio
metadata also includes the station number or other identifier of
the broadcast station. As indicated in FIG. 4, either the station
ID metadata or the receiver frequency, as the case may be, are
provided to the data store 406. The receiver frequency alone may
not uniquely identify the station, as radio frequencies are reused
in different geographic markets. However, where the station ID is
not recovered from metadata or RDBS, the Services Server if
necessary can determine the station based on the frequency, capture
unit ID, history and other factors. The capture circuit 400 also
includes, in some embodiments, a download port such as a USB port
440 for coupling the capture circuit 400 to a user's computer or
the like. As noted, a wireless port can be implemented in some
embodiments in addition to, or in lieu of, a physical connection
such as a USB port. In some embodiments, the capture circuit 400
also includes executable program code 442 managed by the onboard
processor 445 and storing the data in the data store 406 and
configured for interaction with the user's computer via the USB
port 440, or the like, for downloading the capture data described
earlier.
Above we described one embodiment of a portable capture device. It
provided a simple user interface using only a couple of buttons.
Additional features and functionality can be provided in various
alternative embodiments of a portable capture device. For example,
recall the advertisement scenario in which a user hears an ad that
is of interest to her. Instead of a simple "get" or "capture"
button, as described earlier, she may select a different function
called, for example "queue" in order to queue the ad for later
follow up. (The actual name of the function, or the particular text
or icon that appear on a corresponding button or display are not
critical.) More important is that additional options are made
immediately available to the user. For example, in one embodiment,
a menu will appear on a display screen to offer some further
options. These choices can include but are not limited to the
following operations:
1. "Quu it" (or "Queue it") is a first user input or selection
option which would transmit data that identifies the current ad to
a remote server so that the user can access it later, for example
from her web application. (The word "Quu" is a coined word adopted
by applicant to serve as a trademark for use in connection with
products or services such as those described herein for assisting
users in capturing and acting on information received over
broadcast media such as radio and television.) To "QUU" an item,
such as a song or advertisement, as used herein, is similar to
"tagging" the item in order to locate or identify it later. In this
regard, the data initially sent to the server may not identify the
advertisement directly. It may comprise metadata as explained
earlier. The specific user interface is not critical. It may
comprise more or fewer dedicated buttons, a display screen, "soft
keys," voice activation, or a combination of all of these. Another
option is "local queue" in which the data is temporarily stored,
for example, if a communication channel is not currently available
for transmission to the remote server. The capture device can be
programmed to retry the data transfer periodically or when it
detects an available channel, or when indicated by the user.
2. "More Info": (Again the exact label is not important.)
Responsive to this second illustrative user input selection (key
press, etc.), the mobile device/application sends data to the
server indicating that the user would like more information about
the ad they just heard (or viewed or read; more on this later).
Responsive to receiving this command, the server triggers an
application that can automatically command a telephone application
(could be an Internet phone or a standard land line or mobile, or
any device capable of calling telephone numbers). The telephone
application in turn would call the user and play a message
previously uploaded to a server (by the advertiser or the radio
station or any other party on behalf of the advertiser). The
telephone number(s) to call are stored in advance in the user's
profile or personal account data in the server. The message
delivered by phone could be a recording or an automated
text-to-speech system that would read an uploaded text. At the end
of the recording, the user might be asked if he would like to talk
to a representative, and if the answer is yes (either expressed
verbally or by pressing a key on the phone) the call might be
routed to a seller's agent or call taker desk immediately, or the
"hot lead" information can be sent to the seller so that they can
call the user later.
3. "Call me": Responsive to this third illustrative user input
selection (key press, etc.), the mobile device/application sends
data to the server comprising a command showing that the user
desires to be called by the seller or a representative of the
seller, typically either to ask for more information or to make a
purchase. When the server receives this data, it triggers an alert
to the seller by means of either or a combination of, but not
limited to, available communication technologies such as an SMS, an
email, a report etc. The seller can then call the user and conclude
the desired transaction. Both the user and the seller or advertiser
benefit from capturing a potential transaction that otherwise was
likely to be lost.
Details of the relevant internet, communications, client and server
technologies are know to those skilled in the art and are omitted
here to avoid obscuring the present invention. The device could
communicate with the server directly, as an alternative to
connection through a user's computer Internet service. The device
can communicate using wireless technology that is commonly used in
cell phones, or wireless internet technology. With regard to
wireless telecom, various voice or data channels can be used. In
another alternative, an "in-band signaling" modem can be used.
In-band signaling uses the voice channel to transmit small amounts
of data. This approach is advantageous as voice service typically
is inexpensive and nearly ubiquitous in availability. It also makes
the transaction independent of the wireless carrier. In general,
the device would contain standard wireless communication hardware
that would transmit the data to the server as soon as the user
activates the device via the user interface, or automatically, as
discussed above.
In another alternative embodiment, the capture device could be
voice activated by employing known voice recognition apparatus
(hardware and or software) so that the commands are not given via a
push button, but also by voice. The voice recognition can be
relatively simple as only a very limited vocabulary is needed in
this application. That said, once voice recognition is provided,
the type of commands will not be limited to those when using the
buttons, but could be expanded to include some or all of the
commands available from the mobile application. To illustrate, the
user for example could give a voice command such as "quu that song"
or "call me regarding this ad", etc. The device supported voice
recognition apparatus (widely available) interprets the commands
and transforms them into text commands similar to the ones obtained
by pushing a button on the device or a menu item on the mobile
application. The device can then upload this information to the
server by any communication way discussed above (for example, wired
or wireless connection to internet service or wireless
telecommunication services).
In another embodiment, a capture unit 400 may be integrated into a
portable remote control of the type commonly used with a television
receiver. Much of the description herein that applies to radio
broadcasts can be applied to other broadcast media such as
television as well. In the television scenario, the user may be
watching a television show (sit com, news, a movie, etc) or a
commercial advertisement, or an actual offer for sale of goods or
services. Using a portable data capture unit of the type described
herein, either dedicated or integrated into a household remote
control, the user can easily capture data indicative of the current
program, advertisement, etc. The captured data can be used as
explained above with regard to radio broadcasts. The remote control
unit can facilitate capturing the current television station
identity. The portable remote control may "know" the station
currently being viewed, or it can be configured to interact with
the television receiver to acquire that datum. At the server side,
data sources can be accessed as necessary to acquire more
information about the programming or advertisement, similar to the
radio scenario.
FIG. 5 is a simplified illustration in front view of a personal
digital assistant (PDA), cell phone, or the like, showing one
example of a screen display layout associated with an embedded
capture system. In other words, in this implementation the capture
system is implemented in part in client side software. In FIG. 5,
an application program is deployed in a cell phone or other "smart"
device with wireless communication capability for remote capture
and related services as described herein.
In this example, the application program (not shown but stored in
memory) implements a display screen layout 510 that provides
several functions. At the top, it shows the current city and state
settings. These are used to access a stored database to look up
radio stations in the selected city, based on the determined
transmission frequency, also displayed (here "106.9 FM"). The
frequency may be captured by capture circuitry (transmitter and
receiver), as described above, or recovered from embedded metadata
in the radio broadcast signal, or simply entered by the user. For
user entry, the user can enter city and state, and then enter a
frequency or just scroll through a list of local stations provided
by the internal database. The database of local stations can be
updated periodically using techniques that are known in other
contexts. Favorite stations or "presets" can also be stored for
easy retrieval. These may be especially convenient for stations
where identifying information may not be available
automatically.
The display 510 also presents options for various types of items
the user may wish to "capture" and purchase or otherwise act on as
appropriate. For example, the drawing presents user options to
select a song, a product advertisement ("Ad"), a solicitation for a
donation ("Donate"), a copy or transcript of a radio program
("Transcript"), or voting ("Vote yes" or "Vote no") in response to
a live radio broadcast poll. The display shows a corresponding key
or number for the user to press on the keypad to make the desired
selection. The details of this interface are not critical. The
functionality is dramatic as compared to prior art. For example,
compare the effort and convenience of one key press to order a
transcript, versus grabbing a pen and paper, while driving a car,
to write down an address, then later writing a paper order, writing
a check, and snail mailing the whole business to order a transcript
(paper or electronic), which may take weeks to arrive. Using
features of the present disclosure, the desired e-transcript may
already have arrived in the user's computer when she arrives at the
home or office.
In an embodiment where the device 500 comprises a cell phone, the
wireless telecommunications network can be used for downloading the
captured data to a server. That type of implementation is
illustrated in FIG. 2, discussed above. In that embodiment, the
wireless carrier 210 transfers the capture data via the Internet
112 to a purchasing services server 120. In other embodiments,
where the capture data is downloaded to the user's computer (see
FIG. 1), the capture data is again transferred via the Internet 112
to a purchasing services server 120.
The purchasing services server on a preferred embodiment implements
a user interface, for example, along the lines of that illustrated
in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an example of an interactive display screen
layout generated by the server for a client user to select items
previously identified by the user's capture device as discussed
above. The particular layout of the interactive display of FIG. 6
can take various forms. In this illustration, the screen display
includes a first portion 600 which displays music items identified
by use of the capture data discussed above. For example, in the
region 600, each line of the display corresponds to a song or music
track (six of them are shown), and the display shows the radio
station, state, city, date, and time at which that particular track
was played, and the associated data was captured by the user.
A second region 630 of the screen display lists transcripts (two of
them are shown) that were "captured" by the user. Again, the
transcript was not literally captured, but the station
identification and possibly RDBS data were captured, which, in
turn, are used by the server to identify the particular transcript.
Here, by using interactive checkboxes, the user has decided to buy
a CD with the first transcript and to purchase an MP3 download with
the second transcript.
A third region 650 shows a list of products that were identified as
having been advertised when the associated data was captured.
Again, the radio station, state, city, date, and time are shown. In
this case, the user has elected to buy only the second of three
items shown on the list.
And finally, a fourth region 670 of FIG. 6 lists some contributions
that the user may decide to make; for example, to charitable
organizations who had advertised or solicited donations on the
radio and the user captured that information as described above. In
this example, the user has decided to donate only to the second
campaign shown on the display, "Blue Angel Memorial", and has
elected to donate the sum $200 by filling in that amount in the box
provided for that purpose.
To summarize, the screen display of FIG. 6 shows the user all of
the items that were "captured" by the user, and enables the user to
review the list, select particular items for purchase, or not, and
otherwise complete necessary details in preparation for a purchase
or donation or a request for more information on a product, as
appropriate. After the user has completed this information, she can
instruct the server to continue with arranging purchase of the
items that were designated by the user for purchase. This may be
done, for example, by pressing a continue button 680. The continue
button may result in display of a user interface screen display
similar to that shown in FIG. 7. Again, these interactive screen
displays are generated by the purchasing services server 120 or the
like, operational over the Internet or a similar public network
using technologies such as HTML that are well known.
Referring again to FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the server system
will take the selections made by the user interacting with FIG. 6,
and then shop around via the Internet to find the best prices for
the items selected by the user. This can be done transparently
behind the scenes. In other embodiments, the system may default to
purchasing selected items from vendors that the user selected in
advance in the course of user setup preferences. Details of web
site user setup, login procedures, and preferences are omitted
because they are well known. After vendors have been selected for
the purchases indicated by the user, the display screen of FIG. 7
shows the order detail arranged by vendor. In the first section
700, the vendor is iTunes and three items have been selected. If
these are correct, the user can simply press a button 710 "Proceed
to Download" and the download will occur. In this case, there are
three downloads. In a second region 750, the display screen shows
the products selected for purchase from amazon.com. In this case,
there are two audio CDs already selected for purchase. The user
need only press the button to proceed to checkout. The next region
760 shows a product (Jinsu Knife Set) to be purchased from WalMart.
Shipping information and pricing are shown. Finally, a region 770
in the screen display shows the campaign to which the user elected
to make a donation of $200. The user need only press a single
button to confirm the contribution. Again, the user setup in
Preferences may be used to establish the method of payment.
As noted earlier, the data capture functionality on the user side
can be a downloadable into a cell phone or other personal
communication device as an application. Several embodiments are
within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the application
can be configured to communicate to the remote server using any
available messaging service, for example, SMS, MMS or web
services.
In an alternative embodiment, the novel capture application can be
implemented as a web application that the user can use on their
phone internet browser. In one preferred embodiment, the
application will run when the user invokes it from a mobile based
browser without having do download or install any special
application. The application would behave in a similar manner to
the installable application described above and would have similar
functionality.
In an alternative embodiment, the user could simply send a text
message (e.g., an SMS message) to a specified phone number
operatively coupled to a remote server. The message would be
interpreted by the server in the same way it interprets the data
coming from the application. In this case, the server can be linked
to a SMS provider and can receive data via SMS. The message can
include the radio (or television) station frequency, and/or the
station's call letters, and/or any other relevant data. The server
interprets the data and adds the items to the user's account. The
server can access related data sources, e.g. station programming
logs or play lists, as necessary to complete the data.
In another alternative interface, the user could call a phone
number and say the station frequency or call letters or both,
and/or any other relevant data such as "ad" (advertisement) or
"song" etc. The message would be decoded by a voice recognition
software and transformed into a text message that is interpreted by
the server like any message arriving from the phone application.
The server interprets the data and adds the items to the user's
account as before. This model is slightly more burdensome on the
user but it requires no special hardware or software; just a
telephone (landline, internet, wireless, etc.)
Applying still another alternative interface, the user could send
an MMS or an email from his phone (or any portable device with that
capability, e.g., iPhone.RTM., Blackberry.RTM., etc.) that could be
interpreted by the server like any message arriving from the phone
application. The user would simply send an MMS or an email to the
specified number. The message can include the radio station
frequency, and/or the station's call letters, and/or any other
relevant data. The server interprets the data and adds the items to
the user's account.
Many commands can be added to the embedded mobile application
described earlier. It is not limited to the commands we described
earlier. For instance, in one embodiment functionality is
implemented in which a user hears a broadcast ad, and then selects
the function to queue that add. A menu will appear with choices
such as the following:
(1) "Quu it" (i.e. capture it), which would send the data to the
server so that the user can access it later from his web
application.
(2) "More Info": so that a an automated system would call the user
and a recording with more information would play. At the end of the
recording, the user may be asked if he would like to talk to a
representative, and if the answer is yes, the call can be routed to
a seller or agent, or the information can be automatically routed
to the seller so that they contact the user later. (3) "Call me":
which sends a command to the seller to call back the user. (4)
"Stream back": which would stream back a video (as described above)
about the advertised product or service or song etc to the cell
phone.
FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram illustrating in more detail a
presently preferred embodiment to implement individualized user
delivery of multi-media content associated with a radio broadcast
item. In FIG. 8, a vendor 800 provides content which is stored and
maintained by a content management system 810. the content manager
may be part of a server (850) or a separate server and or
datastore. We also refer to the content manager module as a
"business manager" module or server, as this system interacts with
business entities, as explained below, as distinguished from the
server system 850 which principally interacts with
customer/users.
For example, an advertiser 825 may contact a broadcaster 814 to
arrange for radio advertising, i.e. "buy time." The "broadcaster"
814 in practice may be a single radio station, or a broadcasting
syndicate, network, etc. The advertiser 825 delivers an audio file
816 to the broadcaster 814 comprising a radio advertising spot, say
a 30-second prerecorded audio advertisement for the exercise
equipment made by vendor 800. The radio broadcaster then airs the
ad at the agreed-upon time slots/schedule. The broadcast may be via
terrestrial or satellite radio systems. The radio transmission,
including the advertisement 816, is received at a radio receiver
820, where it is heard by a user 822.
In addition to airing the traditional audio advertisement 816, the
radio broadcaster or station 814 may offer additional services,
namely digital download services to provide additional digital
content to interested users who hear the advertisement. This
capability transforms the audio advertisement into a multi-media,
interactive experience. In this example, the radio station creates
a "campaign" for the corresponding product. The radio station sets
up the campaign 802 (a "Q-campaign") using the business or content
manager server system 810. An advertiser, retailer or radio
broadcaster can log into the business server 810 as appropriate.
Preferably, the server may be implemented as a web site. In this
example, the radio station 814 logs into server 810, and selects
the advertiser 825 and the product (in our example, an exercise
machine), and sets up the campaign. The business server maintains a
datastore including vendor data 800, campaigns 802, products 804,
radio stations, login and security credentials, etc.
Continuing the example, the exercise equipment spot 816 may be
scheduled to air on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:05 a.m. and
again at 3:45 p.m. on radio station KXLM 92.5 MHz in the Seattle,
Wash. area. When this occurs, a user 822 who hears the ad and wants
more information or can quu or "capture" the ad using any of the
various means and methods described earlier. The user 822 may then
contact the server 850 via any of various internet or telecom
channels 890. For illustration, the user 822 is shown contacting
the server via one or more of a mobile phone application
("QUUMOBILE"), portable remote capture unit ("QUUMOTE"), or a
telecom voice channel ("QUUVOICE"). The server 850 may have a PSTN
interface 870 to the wireless network 882, which the user reaches
via 890. The server may have an interactive voice system 860 for
use in connection with a voice connection, as well as a web
interface 866 which is coupled to the Internet via an ISP 876.
In operation, when the server 850 receives capture data from the
user or the user's capture device (or computer), it may access the
business server 810 as needed to confirm identification of the
product/campaign that corresponds to the received capture data. The
(user) server 850 can then provide (download) additional content to
the user. This may include, for example, additional audio,
graphics, text files, video clips, etc. This additional content 830
may be stored on a datastore 832, managed by a server content
manager 834 coupled to the server 850, or, in another embodiment,
the content 830 is stored at the business server 810. For example,
additional content associated with the advertisement of exercise
equipment may include photos of the equipment, textual description
of the equipment, video clips of the equipment in use by attractive
models, etc.
In another embodiment, the user 822 who hears the exercise ad 816
on his radio receiver 820, for example while riding in a car, may
obtain additional information in near-real time, i.e., without the
use of a conventional computer. He can download additional content,
such as the video, graphics or text files 830 via the server system
850 to his cell phone, Blackberry or other suitably equipped mobile
device. To request that information, the user must first "capture"
or identify the radio ad, which can be done in various ways as
explained above. Then, the user may interact further with the
server 850 via the telecom interface 860, which may employ
interactive voice services, tone signaling, etc. This can be done
on an ordinary voice channel. For example, if the user cell phone
has no internet or other high-speed data connection, the user can
simply request that additional audio information be played, or that
information be sent to the user's email account later.
In another scenario, the user has internet access, and that channel
is used to download additional content associated with the exercise
equipment advertisement, such as a video clip, as noted above. The
server can also receive and process the user's request to purchase
the exercise equipment. More detail of the purchasing functions is
disclosed above. The systems and methods illustrated in FIG. 8
provide great flexibility for the mobile user, and in some cases
can be used to supplement, or even obviate, the web site portal
interface to a server.
In a preferred embodiment, the business server system 810
implements a web site in which a station 814 can create a campaign
for a product. In addition, any advertiser or retailer or radio
station can login to system 810 once they have appropriate
credentials. More specifically, in one embodiment, any retailer or
radio broadcaster (or group) can request that a system
administrator set up a new account on the system. All participating
radio stations can view the product data. Thus, a participating
radio station can log in, select an advertiser, select a product,
and create a corresponding campaign 802. In general, a hierarchical
arrangement of permissions preferably follows the following
sequence: product, retailer, advertisers, radio station/group/.
Illustrative Commercial Implementation
In one presently preferred implementation, a system in accordance
with various aspects of the present invention is described as
follows. The user side server 850 may be implemented using
Substruct. Substruct is an open source generic ecommerce tool than
can be customized and extended. Substruct is developed on Ruby On
Rails platform and uses MySQL database. Substruct has basic
ecommerce features as listed below:
1. Product Catalog
2. User Management
3. Role & Rights Management
4. Basic Content Management
5. Shipping Configuration
6. Payment gateways
7. FAQ Management
8. Shopping Cart
9. Wish list
10. Promotion management
11. Files Management
As Substruct is an open source ecommerce tool, the complete tool
including the source code and the database can be downloaded. The
tool can be used as is if the above features are enough for an
ecommerce website. Basic customizations like look and feel and
additional shipping method, payment gateways, Roles, static web
pages, etc can be configured and directly used in a production
environment.
The business server 810 functionality Business Application
(Business Division Management--BDM)--BDM is one of the MyQUU
applications to Create and Manage the following business entities
related to MyQUU:
1. Groups of Radio Stations/Sub-Groups of Radio Stations/Radio
Station (Subgroups is taken care in the next version of the
document as we discussed)
2. Retailers
3. Advertisers
4. Products
5. Campaigns
6. Donations
The application and database should support the following
hierarchy--(Group of Radio Stations).fwdarw.Radio
Station.fwdarw.(Advertisers).fwdarw.Retailers.fwdarw.Products.fwdarw.Camp-
aigns. Each of the above links supports one to many relationships.
There are three user types--
(1) Application Admin and
(2) User belonging to one of the above groups.
(3) Customers
Radio Station Groups (RSG):
Preferably, Radio Station groups can be created by an Application
admin user. While creating an RSG, the admin user can create a new
user and attach the user to the new RSG or hook one or more of the
existing users to the new RSG. There can be more than one user for
each RSG and each of the users can create new Radio Stations and
new Radio Station users and assign existing users to Radio
Stations.
Radio Stations Sub-Group (RSSG)
In one embodiment, RSSG can be created by an administrator or a RSG
user. While creating an RSSG, the admin user or the RSG can create
a new user and attach the user to the new RSSG or hook one or more
of the existing users to the new RSSG. There can be more than one
user for each RSSG and each of the users can create new Radio
Stations and new Radio Station users and assign existing users to
Radio Stations.
Radio Stations:
Radio Stations preferably can be created by an Application admin
user, or an RSSG or RSG user. While creating a Radio Station, the
admin user or the RSG user can create a new user and attach the
user to the new Radio Station or hook one or more of the existing
users under the respective RSG. The Radio Stations created by Admin
user will have the flag. Radio stations are not visible to
advertisers or retailers. Visibility is up only, not down the
hierarchy. If created by admin, visible to the user only. If
created by RSG, then visible to RSG users.
Advertisers:
Advertisers can be created by an Application admin user or a Radio
Station user. When creating an advertiser, the admin user or the
Radio Station user can create a new user and attach the user to the
new Retailer or hook one or more of the existing users under the
respective Radio Station. The Advertisers created by Admin user
will have the flag "Admin_Created" set to true. The advertisers
created by Admin user will be visible to any radio station. The
advertiser created by a Radio Station user will be visible to the
Radio station to which it belongs, unless the radio station gives
visibility to other stations or subgroups belonging to the same
group. In one embodiment, advertisers are not enabled to create
campaigns. They can enter retailers or products only.
Retailers:
Retailers can be created by an Application admin user or a Radio
Station user or an advertiser. While creating a Retailer, the admin
user or the Radio Station user or the advertiser user can create a
new user and attach the user to the new Retailer or hook one or
more of the existing users under the respective Radio Station. The
Retailers created by Admin user will have the flag "Admin_Created"
set to true. The Retailers created by Admin user will be visible to
all advertisers and radio stations. The Retailer created by a Radio
Station user will be visible to the radio station to which it
belongs to, unless the station user gives visibility to other
stations or subgroups belonging to the same RSG. Preferably, all
retailers irrespective of creation by admin or not will NOT be able
to create campaigns. They can only create products. There can be
more than one user per Retailer. Each of these users can create new
Products/Campaigns. They will be able to view order reports and
manage orders.
Products:
Products can be created by any user. If no retailer is attached to
the product, products created by admin user will belong to the
master retailer which will be named as MyQuu and also these
products will have the Admin_Created flag set to true. These
products will be available for all retailers to sell or create
campaign. Products created by retailers will be visible only to the
retailer created them. We support multiple users for each level.
The products features can be developed by extending the existing
Product catalog management feature of Substruct.
In one embodiment, the Products display page will have a search
functionality and display on landing some default featured
products. The logic to decide on the products to be decided on
landing to be decided. When the customer is doing a search, in a
side bar some related featured products can be display. When the
customer is viewing a specific product detail, in the side bar,
other products from the same retailer can be listed.
Campaign:
Campaigns preferably can be created by radio station users only.
Campaigns cannot be created by admin user or by the retailers.
Users:
In the illustrative embodiment, there can be three type of
users:
1. Application Admin
2. User belonging to one of RSG/RSSG/Radio
Station/Advertiser/Retailer
3. Customers
The Application admin will have access to all the features of the
entire application. User belonging to a specific entity will have
access only to the immediate child entity of that activity.
Customers will be able to make orders from the products listed by
various retailers or add products to their wishlist.
Summary and Additional Features--Interactive Commercial Broadcast
Radio
Unlike competition, Quu offers the users multiple choices when
listeners choose to interact with the radio. This ensures a broader
distribution, not only from accessibility point of view such as
text messaging, but also trying to stimulate users' interest and
creating a dynamic of interaction. We recognize that text messaging
solutions for example can be used by any cell phone, but every user
is not interested in texting what they like. Our approach goes
beyond the basic functionality of tagging what the user likes. Our
objective is to create a user experience that gets the user to be
hooked to Quu and to want to go it even if a specific item of
interest is not necessarily playing.
Preferred embodiments include QuuMobile, QuuText, and QuuStick.
These coined terms are trademarks of the inventor. They
corresponding to a cell phone software application (QuuMobile.TM.),
a text message based system (QuuText.TM.), and a portable device
(QuuStick.TM.), each described in various embodiments earlier and
summarized below.
Another aspect of the invention is referred to as QuuLounge.TM.:
Radio's first social network. By combining the functionality of
interactivity with the social networking we coalesce user interest
as well as fun, functionality and viral spread. Thus the present
disclosure includes at least three ways for the user to interact
with the radio:
"QuuMobile", a cell phone application offering a range of
functionalities. QuuMobile is designed for users that prefer to use
cell phone applications. When the user registers, they receive a
text message containing a link. When they click on it, QuuMobile is
downloaded and installed.
"QuuText", a text messaging solution offering almost all QuuMobile
functionality. Users can text their selections to 77859. QuuText is
designed to broaden the reach.
"QuuStik", a small flash drive like device small enough to be
carried on a key chain, or left in the car. When the listener hears
a song or an ad they like, with a simple click, QuuStick
automatically recognizes the station and Quu's the user's request.
At their convenience, the user plugs the device in the USB port,
the myQuu.com portal opens up where they can access all Quu'ed
items. QuuStik is designed for maximum simplicity and does not
require any technical knowledge. It is also designed as a
functional flash drive (memory stick). There are 2 versions of
QuuStick: a simplified version that works with a specific radio
station. It could be gifted as a memory stick by radio stations.
The second is more sophisticated and works with all stations.
Below is a list of functionality available to the users in a
presently preferred embodiment. These functions are merely
illustrative and not limiting.
"Quu music" (Quu is used here as a verb referring to capturing song
metadata generally in one of the ways described above.) The song is
added to the user's portal "MyQuu" (see details below). The user
preferably can also receive the name of the song and artist on
their cell phones, a functionality they can turn on off. Automated
coupons or prizes also can be generated as explained in the
business section.
Quu ads: the ad is added to the user's portal "MyQuu". If the ad is
Quu-enabled they can get details such as description, pictures
videos and price. From the MyQuu webpage the user can also request
more information via phone, email or mail, access a purchase link
or add to their wish list. From their phone, the user can request a
call-back from the vendor for immediate action or an info-call,
where the systems calls back with a pre-recorded message that
better explains the 30 sec ad they just heard. If the ad is not
Quu-enabled, the user will still get the advertiser name. Automated
coupons or prizes can be generated as explained in the business
section.
Quu donations: the campaign is added to the user's portal "MyQuu"
(see details below). From their phone, the user can request a
call-back from the advertiser for immediate action or an info-call,
where the systems calls back with a pre-recorded message that
better explains the campaign. Automated coupons or prizes can be
generated as explained in the business section.
Quu transcripts: For Quu-enabled transcripts, the campaign is added
to the user's portal "MyQuu" (see details below).
Vote: The user can interact directly by voting yes or no to
questions the DJ asks. The answers show up in real-time at the DJ
screen. Automated coupons or prizes can be generated as explained
in the business section.
Rate: The user can rate a song they're listening to. The rating
results are shown in real time at the radio stations.
Billboards/print ads: in order to get cross media analytics, the
Quu solution suite incorporates billboard and print ads where all
the ad functionality is available to the users. This functionality
will not be released initially.
In a presently preferred embodiment, there are at least two web
pages where the user can interact with a system in accordance with
the present disclosure.
MyQuu, the portal that contains all Quu'ed items. From the MyQuu
page, users can get the details and take action on the Quu'ed
items:
Song: Artist name, title, label. The user can also download or
purchase from online vendors such as Amazon or iTunes or even add
to their wish list. Details can be added by the radio stations or
the record label to specific songs or artists, such as pictures,
videos and additional description such as concert times and
locations, interviews etc.
Ads (Quu-enabled): Description, pictures videos and price users can
request more information via phone, email or mail, access a
purchase link or add to their wish list. If the ad is not
Quu-enabled, the user will still get the advertiser name.
Donation campaigns: If the campaign is Quu-enabled they can get
details such as description, pictures and videos. From the MyQuu
webpage the user can also request more information via phone, email
or mail, access a donation link or add to their wish list. If the
campaign is not Quu-enabled, the user will still get the advertiser
name.
Transcripts: If the program is Quu-enabled users can see the
program name, description, pictures, videos as well as purchase or
download link. Automated coupons or prizes can be generated as
explained in the business section.
QuuLounge: A second web site or similar Internet technology for
user interaction. This web site embodies radio's first and only
social network. Quu lounge ensures viral penetration along with
functionality centered on user interests in radio and music. In one
embodiment, the lounge web site provides at least some of the
following functionality:
Users can add friends ("QuuFriends"). Friends will receive alerts
when the user is listening to a specific station, or Quu's or rates
a song, or adds a favorite artist or song.
User can add favorite artists or songs and receives alerts when
that artist or song start playing on a nearby station
User can see what is playing on most stations in the country, watch
the video if available in YouTube, share it, add it to their
Quu.
Users can add a favorite radio station. By doing so the user could
receive alert from these radio stations about games, votes etc.
The user can turn on/off any alert by type and by friend.
Full integration with Twitter, Facebook and other social
networks
QuuLounge Facebook application
Invite others to join
Add existing users to friends list
Interesting radio facts: most played songs and ads in the country
and in the user's area; most Quu'ed songs in the country and in the
area.
Another aspect of the invention provides a business software
application and related methods. ("QuuBiz"), This software
application is created and stored in a machine-readable digital
form. The application is executable on any suitable processor. It
may be executed on a computer, but a complete "computer" may not be
required, depending on how that term is defined. For example, the
subject software application may be executed by a processor in a
dedicated system that has no mouse, joystick or other pointing
input device.
The application preferably is intended for use by radio stations
and advertisers. In one embodiment, it models the current
relationships between the radio world (Radio groups, sub-groups and
stations), the advertiser world (ad agencies and advertisers) the
retailers, items (products, services, donation campaigns, music,
transcripts) and advertisement campaigns.
This is a powerful application that allows radio stations or
advertisers to upload a product in minutes and Quu-enable it. They
can enable specific features such as call back or info call etc.
QuuBiz also allows stations to see voting and rating results in
real time along with the phone number and email of the user.
QuuBiz also allows advertisers to link coupons to campaigns. There
may be at least two types of coupons: email and text message. A
coupon is generated automatically according to rules set by the
advertiser using parameters such as: number of coupons, every so
many users, expiration, etc. For example an advertiser might
generate a total of 100 coupon, for every 10.sup.th clicker, send
an sms, that gets the user 10% off of $100,000 if they walked into
a store in the next hour. Or just a 10% off that is sent to their
email address and valid for a week. Coupon IDs are generated
randomly, and stores can validate them either online or by calling
an automated system.
It will be appreciated that the disclosed technologies offer
engaging interactivity with the radio by combining functionality
with benefits and the fun of the social networks. It addresses not
only user pain points, but also creates a unique approach to
reviving radio by allowing listeners to not only interact but to
engage, whether they are online or offline. Competitors have
created funneled solutions that revolve around specific
technologies that are not necessarily a good fit for everyone, and
most importantly that do not ensure continuous engagement of the
listeners. Quu does not only capture their attention with what they
hear on the radio, but also by what others in the community are
doing driving them to listen to specific stations.
Leveraging the Radio Station Web Site
Some may object that the foregoing web site and related services
will attract radio listeners, but draw them away from the broadcast
radio stations' own web site. The need remains for improvements to
provide new services to radio users directly, or through a
broadcast radio station, so the user need not necessarily visit the
web portal (Quu, MyQuu) to interact as described above. Below, we
extend many of the methods and services disclosed above in new
ways, for more benefits to users, to radio stations, and to
advertisers. In fact, as shown below, radio advertisers, through
the invention disclosed herein, may enjoy unprecedented levels of
marketing success that begins with a traditional broadcast radio
message. Radio stations are likely to enjoy increased numbers of
listeners, web site visits, and advertising revenue, among other
advantages described below. In short, aspects of the present
invention bring the concepts of web interactivity and user
community to the radio.
Accordingly, the following benefits can be obtained:
For listeners (whether listening home, on the web, while driving
their car or at work):
Allows them to Quu (tag) a song to obtain the name of the artist or
the song and provide the option to listen to the song again,
download it, purchase the CD or add it to a wish list
Provides a means for consumers to react to an enticing commercial
so that they can learn more about the product or service being
offered at a more convenient time and even receive a callback,
info-call or video content from the sponsor to obtain more
information and/or purchase it
Participate in station promotions, polling, program/content rating,
etc.
Helpful in reacting to fund-raising or donation campaigns at the
most convenient time
For advertisers and marketers, advantages of embodiments of the
present invention can include:
Transforms radio into a fully interactive medium on a par with the
Internet
Makes radio advertising more effective since listeners can tag or
click on commercials allowing an instant call back or follow-up
information at a user specified time
Provides real-time metrics on user engagement and interest in their
marketing messages
Empowers advertisers to test a variety of approaches and make
meaningful mid-course campaign changes
Allows advertisers to dynamically manage the content of their
interactive ads.
Creates a trackable stream of consumer leads and through couponing
and other incentives, fully trackable sales and conversion
statistics (the truly elusive ROI measure)
For radio stations, advantages of embodiments of the present
invention can include:
A quick and no initial-cost way of transforming their station into
a highly interactive medium and with first mover advantage, a way
of capturing a larger share of radio advertising sales in their
marketing area
The chance to boost their image to their listeners and
marketers
Revenue enhancement--the capturing of new bottom line dollars and
protection of current clients--by offering highly interactive and
accountable advertising units to local and national advertisers
Additional Embodiments and Implementations
When listeners hear a song an ad or promotion they are interested
in, they can simply use QuuMobile (cell phone application described
above) or QuuText (a text messaging solution) to make their
selection. QuuMobile is available for registered users only;
However QuuText is available for all radio listeners--no
pre-registration is required. For example, if a listener is tuned
to 92.5 (MHz on the FM band) and is interested in an advertised
product, they may simply text "925" to 77859 (a predetermined text
message destination number) to request an info-call.
In an embodiment, a server, as described above, receives the text
message. It can determine the general location or city of the
sender from the text message. Given the frequency or station ("925"
interpreted as 92.5 MHz) and the time of day (text message time and
date stamp), the server can query a playlist database for the
corresponding station, and identify the content of interest. Then
the server initiates a pre-recorded information message or
"info-call" about the identified radio content (song,
advertisement, promotion, non-profit solicitation, etc.). A call is
placed to the device that sent the text message, and the info-call
is played to provide additional information to the user who has
already indicated by their text message a genuine interest in the
radio broadcast item. Optionally, in some embodiments, an
interactive feature can be implemented to confirm that the
broadcast item is the right one, or enable selection of an
alternative, e.g. from a few choices that preceded or following
closely in time the broadcast item that was initially identified
responsive to the user text message. More specific call flow
examples are given below.
Listeners can Quu (tag) an ad of interest (using QuuMobile QuuText
or other partner application) and request a:
Call-back: Quu bridges a phone call between the advertiser and the
listener, transforming the latter into a lead.
Info-call: Quu calls back the listeners and plays a pre-recorded
message containing more details about the product or the service of
interest, with the option of speaking to the advertiser at any
moment. The 30 or 60 sec. ad is transformed into a description up
to 3 minutes long.
Video: Quu sends a video of the pertinent ad to listeners' phones
transforming radio ads into a TV-like advertisement. A link to the
video can be sent as an alternative to the full-size file.
Listeners may also Quu a song they like or rate the song they are
listening to. Other interactions can be implemented as well, such
as sharing with friends, purchasing, etc.
Registered users can go to their personal MyQuu page, listeners can
discover more about the songs and Ads they've Quu'ed and act upon
them. Listeners may listen to the ad again, or to the detailed
description. Quu-enabled ads also contain a description. A video,
pictures as well as a request for information form (email, mail,
and/or phone).
Enabling the Radio Station Website
Non-registered users can go to a radio-station's website where the
relevant information can be made available to them. To illustrate,
FIG. 14B shows a screen shot of a radio station "Warm 106.9 fm" web
site. In this screen, a "playlist" of advertisements is presented,
listing the time and sponsor for every ad played on that radio
station, for example during the current day. (See "Today" pulldown
menu.) This interface enables a user to select the ad that
interests them, and then various options can be presented. On the
right side, see "buttons" to select "Request Info" (by email,
phone, etc.), "Listen to Ad" "Hear Details" and (play) "Video." The
ad itself, or a related video, can be played in a window or pop-up
(e.g. where the picture of dogs appears in FIG. 14B for
illustration). Still photos related to the selected ad can be
displayed as well. Accordingly, a radio listener, who hears a radio
broadcast ad of interest, can easily follow up on the radio station
website to interact and learn more. This aspect does not require
that the user capture or tag the content in real time. Nor does it
require that the user operate a remote capture device when the item
of interest is heard on a radio broadcast.
Aside from the station ID aspect, the foregoing functionality is
similar in some ways to the functionality of the Purchasing
Services Server or "EMO-V Server" described above. Here, the "user"
need not be a registered user or "member" of the Quu or EMO-V site
or data center. Since anyone can access the radio station web site,
we use the term "listener" rather than user in this context. That
said, some radio stations also permit listeners to join the their
website. We will refer to registered users of a radio station site
as "Registered Listeners." One aspect of the present disclosure, in
some embodiments, marries the operations of a central site (The Quu
platform) together with those of an individual radio station site.
(Of course, similar methods and services can be provided via
multiple radio station sites.)
To illustrate, FIG. 9 shows some of the components of one
embodiment of an improved interactive broadcast radio/advertising
system. In FIG. 9, the lower part illustrates by way of examples
some of the relevant user communication devices; e.g., a computer
902 (with web browser), cell phone 904, and telephone 908, etc.
A radio station 920 operates a corresponding website 910 (coupled
to the Internet). the station site 910 is coupled to a services
platform 930, via the Internet or any other suitable communications
system. The services platform has access to and maintains various
data stores, preferably databases of registered users (932),
playlists (934), and advertising content (936). These databases are
not limited to a specific radio station. For example, the services
platform 930 may serve a plurality of radio station websites. The
stations may be part of a commonly-owned group of stations, or
not.
the advertising content 936 may be provided by an advertising
content webpage or website 940. That site can be used for managing
and updating the content. In general, the advertising content may
be provided by advertisers, advertising agencies, brokers, and
other creators, indicated at 950. So, for example, an advertiser,
perhaps through an agent, can update advertising copy, text,
photos, etc by download to the website 940. Because the services
platform 930 obtains its ad content from the site 940, the updated
content will automatically be used for download to interested users
(listeners) through various channels as described herein. One
advantage of this feature is that the advertiser is relieved of the
burden of distributing updated advertising content to all of the
stations or station groups where it advertises. Rather all of the
stations such as 910 that use the platform 930, and their
listeners, will automatically receive the new content on demand, as
further explained below. In this regard, we use the term content
herein to include actual advertisements, as well as associated
supplemental information such as photos, additional descriptions in
audio or text, videos, web links, etc. as discussed elsewhere in
this application.
In operation of the system of FIG. 9, in one embodiment, a listener
of the radio 906 hears an advertisement broadcast from the station
920 over the airwaves. The user may have a computer 902 available
with email or other communications capability, and the user may
send a request 958 for more information. The user identifies the
advertisement of interest, in one embodiment, and requests further
information or actions, using an interface described below. For
example, if an INFO-EMAIL is requested, the follow up action 962,
namely sending an INFO-EMAIL 960, is provided by the services
platform 930 using the info-email from content database 936. In
another embodiment, the user may access the radio station website
910 to make a request as indicated by dashed line 959. In that
case, the website 910 passes the request through to the platform
930, and it provides the follow-up as before. There, the user need
not identify the station explicitly, since the station is
identified by the web site visited.
In other scenarios, requests can be made via a web-enabled cell
phone using a web browser, or via text message, or via an embedded
application 968 as discussed earlier. If the request is made via
text message, for example, the follow-up reply, such as an
INFO-TEXT message 970, can be sent to the requesting cell phone 904
as shown.
In another scenario, in some embodiments, the user may place a
telephone call, mobile or land-line via telephone 908, to a number
where an interactive telephone system is coupled to or implemented
within the platform 930.
Processing Phone Requests
A radio station listener, registered (as described below) or not,
can take advantage of a telecommunication system for interacting
with the radio station. To illustrate, FIG. 10 is a base call flow
diagram illustrating one example of an interactive telephone
session with a radio listener to deliver information of interest
offline. In FIG. 10, the advertisement is identified at "A" and the
correct ad title is confirmed at "B" or the desired ad is selected
at "C". At "D" options are presented for the caller to request a
video to her phone (press 8), hear more details (press 5), or press
0 to speak to a person. Each of these flows continues, based on the
caller selection (expressed via keypress or voice), to FIG. 12,
FIG. 13 or FIG. 11 respectively.
FIG. 11 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of a call
back flow, continued from the diagram of FIG. 10. Here, at "A" the
user first has an option to share with friends (press 9), if
sharing has been configured for this user. After sharing, or not if
not applicable, flow to "B" to check for advertiser phone number.
This is where the advertiser may have provided a number to reach a
live operator. If so, the caller is connected to that line. In this
way, the caller is turned into a live sales lead. This provides
direct feedback and value added to a radio advertiser. No longer is
it necessary for a radio listener to try to write down or remember
a phone number recited in a radio advertisement.
If no advertiser phone number is provided, the advertiser may have
provided an info-email, in which case it may be sent. At "C" if the
advertiser has provided info-text, the system determines whether
the current user's preferences enable sending info-text, and if so,
the info-text may be sent with an explanation as shown in the
drawing. This flow is merely illustrative and not intended to be
limiting, as is true of the other flow diagrams as well.
FIG. 12 is a call flow diagram including video delivery, again
continued from the diagram of FIG. 10. The particulars are set
forth in the drawing. Various supplemental content can be
delivered, based on the user's request and what content has been
made available by the advertiser (see content database 936 and
related text).
FIG. 13 illustrates a call flow diagram continued from the diagram
of FIG. 10 including playing a prerecorded info-call message, among
other options, once again depending on the user's request, user
preferences, and what content has been made available by the
advertiser.
A radio station web site operator can provide for its listeners
some of the same services as the Quu central services server
described earlier; see FIGS. 1, 2, 6, 7 and associated text. To do
so, in a preferred embodiment, the underlying data and services are
implemented on a services platform 930. Suitable add-in software
("QuuAdd-on" tm) can be deployed in the station website 910 to
enable this functionality for the stations' listeners. Thus, the
web pages are generated by the platform 930 and conveyed to the
user via the station website 910.
When registered users login to the station site 910, they may, for
example:
Check the list of songs they've Quu'ed and optionally purchase
them
Check the details of ads they've Quu'ed and request more
information
Check their coupon list
Create text message alerts when their favorite song is playing on
your station
See FIG. 14C for one example of a user interface to facilitate
representative functions. In this figure, only the Music tab is
currently selected. On that tab, the user can review music items,
play clips, purchase the tracks, etc. On the "Ads" tab (not shown),
it may present options for more information, pictures, video, etc.
To summarize, the functions and services described earlier as
enabled by a remote capture device, such as that described with
reference to FIG. 3, or an embedded application as in FIG. 5, may
be implemented in alternative embodiments at a radio station
website, with or without the use or a portable remote capture
device. The radio station web site may includes user interfaces
similar to those described earlier with regard to FIGS. 6 and 7, to
review and select items, make purchases, etc., except that an
individual station website interface would not include
station/frequency data, since it does not vary. Another example is
shown in FIG. 14C. The particular appearance of a user interface is
not critical.
In other cases, where a radio station does not provide for listener
registration, a pop-up can be provided with a tab with an option
for the listener to register on the radio site. This has the effect
of creating a "club" or community for the station. For registered
club members, the features and functionality described above then
can be made available to the members, such as maintaining their own
lists or queues of selected items.
On such web sites, in any of the embodiments described herein, such
as a centralized site, individual radio station site, or a station
group site, additional community sharing features may be
conveniently implemented. For example, a user can request that a
selected song, advertisement or other item be shared electronically
by email, Twitter, RSS feed, etc in accordance with user profile
information. See the sharing features in FIGS. 11-13. These
activities enhance the utility, especially for the corresponding
advertiser or station, as the shared item may "go viral." Similar
sharing instructions can be input via email, text message, IVR
system, etc. in accordance with the present disclosure.
e-Coupons
Electronic coupons can be generated and distributed with improved
effectiveness in the context of the present system. Because of
their specific focus, precise targeting, and extreme timeliness,
they will further encourage users to interact with the station that
provides them.
In an embodiment, customized coupons can be sent to the
(registered) listener's phone or email. Personal profiles can be
used to setup addresses and preferences as mentioned earlier.
Phone coupons can be valid for a specific time, an hour for
example, inciting the listener to take action immediately after
having Quu'ed an ad, while the interest in the service or product
is still high. In other embodiments, coupons can be attached to
ads, music, contests and more.
Third-Party Integration
There may be a third-party application that implements a radio
listener "touchpoint" (one other than the radio station's own
website.) An application program interface (API) can be used to
enable such third-party applications to make a request and complete
the connection between the advertiser and the listener as disclosed
herein. Using a third party application already integrated with the
radio station, listeners may request: A call back from the
advertiser, An Info-Call, or a pre-recorded message explaining more
in details the ad of interest. Listeners may also request to speak
to a customer representative. A video of the ad can also be
provided as noted above.
Billboards, Print Ads and Other Physical Substrates
Billboards or print ads and the like also can utilize the methods
and apparatus disclosed herein. For example, a printed
advertisement can include an embedded identifier such as an
alphanumeric identifier or symbol. It may be human readable, or
not. If it is readable, the user can send a text message or use a
mobile phone application, as described above, to enter the
identifier from the advertisement of interest and seek more
information or other actions. For example, if a billboard has an
interactive identifier number 12345. Then a user texts 12345 (we
use "text" here as a verb) to a predetermined destination number,
and then they receive a text back or a call back. The responding
text may contain the name of the advertiser, and a web link to
access more information such as described above. The call back may
be similar to the one from the radio ad, as discussed
elsewhere.
FIG. 14D is an example of a webpage for registered users. It may be
implemented (programmed) on the services platform 930 or another
web server. It serves several functions.
Available to registered users, QuuLounge is the music and
advertisement dashboard. It's also radio's social network where
listeners can share their radio experience. In the page region
headed "MyQuu" there are tabs for Music, Ads and Artists. Users may
get more information about the songs and artists they've previously
Quu'ed (tagged), by selecting the appropriate tab, and then
selecting the item of interest from the list. Only the Music tab is
shown here for illustration. (FIG. 14B includes an example of an ad
list, in that case appearing on a radio station site.) In the Music
tab, the user has options to:
Album details
Watch video
Buy or download
Add to Wish List
Receive Text Message alerts when favorite songs are playing
Also users may get detailed information about a selected
advertisement, including but not limited to:
Get pictures, video and details
Request a call back
Request more information by email or mail
In addition, FIG. 14D illustrates an example of an interface that
provides for looking up radio station playlists (and managing
favorite stations); managing social friends ("QuuBuddies"), and
various user account activities (see "MyStuff"). Some of the
specific functions may include:
Get and buy songs buddies are Quu'ing
See what's playing on stations around the country
Integrate with Twitter, Facebook
Get interesting hourly radio facts
It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many
changes may be made to the details of the above-described
embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the
invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be
determined only by the following claims.
* * * * *
References